What Early Fall Looks Like in My Florida Garden

September is a funny time to be a gardener in Florida.

Fall is my favorite season, and every year I look forward to the drop in temperature and humidity that eventually makes its way to Florida. I love the more traditional versions of fall I see online too, with colorful leaves, cozy layers, and gardens settling into cooler weather. But September arrives a little differently here.

Online, summer seems to disappear almost overnight. Pumpkins arrive, sweaters come out, and gardens begin taking on the familiar colors of fall. Meanwhile, I'm still stepping outside into heat and humidity, surrounded by a garden that looks very much like summer.

There has been an ever-so-slight drop in temperature, just enough to remind me that change is coming. And while a Florida fall may not look like the ones I admire elsewhere, I've come to appreciate that it has a charm of its own.

Enjoying the first hints of fall in my still very summery Florida garden.

The Garden Isn't Finished With Summer Yet

My cottage garden is still full of color. The lantana has become an especially busy stop for butterflies, while the crossandras, pentas, salvia, and other heat-loving flowers continue to make this little corner of the yard feel wonderfully alive.

There are other small signs that things are changing, too. The light looks a little different. The days are gradually getting shorter. And even when the weather doesn't feel particularly autumnal, I find myself thinking differently about the garden.

Instead of simply maintaining what made it through summer, I'm beginning to look ahead.

That's one of the things I enjoy about this in-between part of the year. Summer hasn't really left, but the possibilities for the next season are already beginning.

Starting Fall in the Hydroponic Garden

One of those possibilities is currently growing inside my house. I started several tomato varieties in my hydroponic garden for the upcoming growing season, partly because starting tomato seeds indoors has historically been a frustrating process for me. This time, I decided to let the hydroponic system handle the earliest stage. The difference has been pretty remarkable.

My hydroponic tomato seedlings just before thinning them. They took off much faster than I expected.

The seedlings took off quickly enough that I soon needed to thin them, and even my Everglades tomatoes germinated and started growing beautifully. Those were the ones I was most skeptical about, so seeing healthy little Everglades tomato plants among the others has been especially satisfying.

They still have quite a journey ahead of them. They'll eventually need to move from their very comfortable indoor setup into soil and adjust to life outside. But for now, they're growing. And that feels like its own little marker of the season.

Following the Season I Actually Have

Gardening in Florida has taught me that the calendar can only tell me so much. September 1st doesn't automatically mean cool weather, finished summer gardens, or an immediate switch to traditional fall planting. What I can do is watch what's happening in my garden and begin making small changes as the conditions allow.

For me, that currently looks like continuing to enjoy the flowers that are thriving, taking note of what handled the summer well, starting a few plants for the months ahead, and resisting the urge to rush the garden into a season it hasn't reached yet.

If you garden somewhere with a long warm season, that may be helpful to remember too. Seasonal living doesn't have to happen according to a particular aesthetic or date on the calendar. Sometimes the most useful guide is simply what's happening outside your own door.

A Little Bit of Fall, Florida Style

I still love fall. I'm ready for slightly cooler mornings, changing light, fall flavors, and eventually being able to spend more time outside without feeling like I've walked directly into a sauna.

But I'm also not wishing away what is here now.

There are hummingbirds visiting the yard. Butterflies are still moving through the flowers. My tomato seedlings are growing inside while the summer garden carries on outside. And somewhere between the two, a new season is beginning even if it doesn't look much like the fall filling my screen.

I shared more of this in-between season in my latest slow living garden vlog, The Internet Is Ready for Fall. My Florida Garden Isn't.

For now, I'll take my version of September: a sun hat, something good to drink, flowers still blooming, and a garden that will change when it's ready.